'U.S. real estate sellers' class action lawsuit over buyer's commission reaches trial stage.'

Scheduled to begin trial this week against the National Association of Realtors and several real estate companies accused of conspiring to artificially fix the commissions home sellers pay to buyers' agents.

Home sellers are seeking more than $1.3 billion in compensation in a class-action lawsuit in U.S. federal court in Kansas City over the buyer-realtor commission rule. Keller Williams, HomeServices of America and its two subsidiaries are also among the defendants.

The case on antitrust charges is considered potentially damaging to dominant practices in the real estate market. The public hearing began Tuesday and''realtors are provided and paid.

Re/Max and Anywhere Real Estate, the other defendants in the case, recently announced their intention to strike a deal with the plaintiffs.

The case is titled Burnett v. National Association of Realtors and Others, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, No. 4:19-cv-00332-SRB.

From the plaintiffs, Michael Ketchmark of Ketchmark & McCreight; Eric Dirks of Williams Dirks Dameron; and Brandon Bulwar of Boulware Law, in defense of the National Association of Realtors - Ethan''Glass of Cooley, for HomeServices and related affiliates, Robert McGill of MacGill PC; Jay Varon of Foley & Lardner, and Brian Friese of Lathrop GPM, for Keller Williams, David Culley of Holland & Knight.